Sibelius: Symphony No. 3 / King Cristian Ii Suite

Featuring

Neeme Järvi
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Jean Sibelius

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Performer Biography

Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this recording, was born in Estonia in 1937 and trained under Rabinovich and Mravinski at the Leningrad Conservatoire.

Compositional Technique

For the strings in his Third Symphony, Sibelius recommended a large section: twelve first violins, twelve second violins, and eight each of violas, cellos, and double basses.

Compositional Technique

Sibelius's Third Symphony omits the harp, a typically Romantic instrument, similar to his Second Symphony.

Critical Reception

The bold dissonance in the first movement of Sibelius's Third Symphony was so striking that Glazunov sent a copy of the passage to Rimsky-Korsakov, exclaiming "What is this meant to be?"

Composer's Artistic Vision

Sibelius characterized the finale of his Third Symphony as "The crystallisation of thought from chaos."

Critical Reception

When Robert Kajanus conducted Sibelius's Third Symphony in Paris in 1920, a critic remarked: "Nowadays only God composes in C major."

Recording & Production

This recording was made in the Gothenburg Concert Hall, which is considered one of the world's finest concert venues, a quality confirmed by a scientific study.